Ben “Coach” Wade and Oscar “Ozzy” Lusth are the two cast members returning for Survivor South Pacific. They’ll compete in Samoa with 16 new people, as Jeff Probst revealed during last season’s finale.

The evidence that Coach/Ben is on season 23 is pretty clear. As someone alerted me to, his voice mail message isn’t subtle: “I’m going to be traveling the next couple weeks,” he says, encouraging people to e.mail instead of texting or leaving a message. Ben conducts the Susanville Symphony, which he helped to found, and its final concert is next weekend, which up until recently he was conducting. But now, its web site says there will be “a very special guest conductor” instead.

Ben’ movie 180, which features him making out with Danielle DiLorenzo, has its premiere a week later, June 17. The producer of the film, William Price, told me in an e.mail that Ben was supposed to be at the premiere: “That is plan. We are flying him in the day before.” However, he did not respond to a follow-up in which I mentioned that Ben was likely in Samoa. If Ben shows up for that, we’ll all be surprised.

Reports that Coach would return first surfaced on Survivor Sucks (where Jeff Probst recently responded to criticism about the show), while news of Ozzy’s return first came from Survivor Skills’ DanieuBleau, who cited “one of my highly dependable, and trusted sources.” Ozzy’s return was confirmed in a report today on TVFunSpot, which says that Ozzy’s voicemail has a similar message to Coach’s, and that he’s taken a leave of absence from his job as a waiter.

Calling this pairing or season Coach vs. Ozzy makes little sense, because besides the fact that Russell and Rob never faced off during Survivor Redemption Island, Ozzy and Coach never appeared on the same season. (Ozzy did get naked and have sex on Playboy TV’s Foursome.) The only way it’d be Coach vs. Ozzy is if the producers start both returnees on Redemption Island, where they’d face off in a duel, with the winner remaining to face off against the first person voted out of the game. I wish they’d do something like that but think it’s a safe bet that Coach and Ozzy will be placed on tribes, just like Rob and Russell were.

Speaking of Playboy, my piece that includes an extensive interview with Coach—or Ben, as I call him in the piece, and as people call him in his actual life—will be especially interesting now that he’s decided to go on the show for a third time. As you’ll read in the story, which is in the July issue out later this month, Ben still has very raw feelings about his time on Survivor Tocantins, and has now settled into a life as a conductor, pastor, and actual coach. When I spent a weekend with him in late February, there was no indication he’d ever even be asked to return.

But he did tell me that “life is about the experiences” and said that, with Survivor Heroes vs. Villains, “I looked at it as an adventure” and “a time to prove what I’d learned about myself. And I thought it was really important to go out there again and find redemption.”

Meanwhile, the media contingent left for Samoa last week (EW’s Dalton Ross announced that he was going offline) and arrived by Friday, meaning that interviews with the cast were likely Saturday, and the game started on Monday, Memorial Day in the United States.

Really, they need to STOP bringing people back. It's great to have an all stars season every 5 seasons or so, but really now? Come on. Plus the Redemption Island twist is crap. This better be the LAST season they do this sh!t. Cause it's just not working. Last season was one of the worst seasons of Survivor ever. It was so predictable and the cast was just really dull. I'm not looking forward to a repeat of that.

Lol @ the random mention of Ozzy having sex on Playboy tv. I can't stand him either. But he seemed to be a fan favorite during his seasons. Don't know why. He was a terrible player. All he was good at was challenges. Especially swimming challenges. If there aren't a lot of those, he'll be too stupid to go far.

This is the most random pairing ever though. Maybe they were trying to make it Coach and Phillip, but Phillip didn't want to do two seasons in a row, so they had to pick someone as a backup.

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And you never knew why you felt so good. In the strangest of places. Like in waiting rooms and long lines that made you late. Or mall parking lots on holidays.

Is this their third season in Samoa now? Or fourth? Ugh, I hate Samoa. It's so bland. Can we please go back to the heaven that was Gabon, or the barren lands of Tocantins? Tocantins' exile island was by far the coolest terrain Survivor has ever come across. Omg. So brilliant on their part, to strand them not on an island, but in this mass desert.

Anyways. Idgaf about Ozzy/Coach. I probably won't be tuning into this season and will watch just the challenges on youtube like I did for Fiji.

Ugh. Yeah I'll be skipping this one too. Coach is a random WTF contestant and Ozzy was a terrible player in both seasons he was in prior to this. IDGAF if he made the final 2 in Cook Islands. He's terrible.

UGH. Excuse me while I go barf. I was expecting Coach (not that I wanted to see him) but Ozzy? Really? I really hate this new format. I'd hate to stop watching Survivor now, but I'm not sure I can sit through another boring season like the past few (excluding HvV).

I know everyone feels the same, but I want to say it anyway: I miss old Survivor. No stupid gimmicks (or not as many anyway), no hidden immunity idols, less mactors, no redemption/exile islands, ENTERTAINING CASTS...

QUOTE(wild.hope @ Jun 12th 2011, 10:05 PM)

Is this their third season in Samoa now? Or fourth? Ugh, I hate Samoa. It's so bland. Can we please go back to the heaven that was Gabon, or the barren lands of Tocantins? Tocantins' exile island was by far the coolest terrain Survivor has ever come across. Omg. So brilliant on their part, to strand them not on an island, but in this mass desert.

I saw the finale of Samoa, top 12 onwards from HvV, and all of Nicaragua, and RI.

I hope they do a completely new cast next time around. it was pretty obvious that Rob's tribe(outside of Kristina, and Francesca) were all gonna take him to the end. plus the returnees were voted out straight away, I like that Andrea made it that much further but still she got like 1 place higher. I was hoping that Ashley, and Natalie would make a move, but they were scared that Rob would find out so.

Really, they need to STOP bringing people back. It's great to have an all stars season every 5 seasons or so, but really now? Come on. Plus the Redemption Island twist is crap. This better be the LAST season they do this sh!t. Cause it's just not working. Last season was one of the worst seasons of Survivor ever. It was so predictable and the cast was just really dull. I'm not looking forward to a repeat of that.

I watch all the season.....never miss....But last season, I stop watching...right after the merge.(with Rob winning, i don't even care to watch the rest of it.)

This time, it look like another worst idea.....

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KRIS ALLEN : "Ultimate Underdog"

From 27 second prior to semifinal to American Idol | From #11 seed in betting odds to beat #1 seedBiggest Upset in Idol History by Underdog. Sweet Victory

Lol @ the random mention of Ozzy having sex on Playboy tv. I can't stand him either. But he seemed to be a fan favorite during his seasons. Don't know why. He was a terrible player. All he was good at was challenges. Especially swimming challenges. If there aren't a lot of those, he'll be too stupid to go far.

It's funny how they only put him on island seasons.

QUOTE(wild.hope @ Jun 12th 2011, 10:05 PM)

Is this their third season in Samoa now? Or fourth? Ugh, I hate Samoa. It's so bland. Can we please go back to the heaven that was Gabon, or the barren lands of Tocantins? Tocantins' exile island was by far the coolest terrain Survivor has ever come across. Omg. So brilliant on their part, to strand them not on an island, but in this mass desert.

Gabon and Tocantins had the best settings. The island seasons suck. They're all exactly the same. It rains every other night, they show a snake lunging at the camera, yadda yadda, we get it, it's dangerous. I want to see people surviving in the bush, not basking on the beach.

Prediction: Ozzy gets voted out early, the producers make every Redemption Island challenge a water challenge so he can get back in.

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"Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put." - Winston Churchill

Ugh! Next season the producer's are going to find out how to successfully clone people and there will be twenty Russell's playing the game (at Samoa of course since they're to uncreative to think of any different locations)

Ugh! Next season the producer's are going to find out how to successfully clone people and there will be twenty Russell's playing the game (at Samoa of course since they're to uncreative to think of any different locations)

I'm not creative enough to really think of any place, so where do you think they should go?